Encompassing a vast area east of the Caspian Sea, west of Northern China, south of Eastern Europe and north of the Middle East, Central Asia is a land of varying geographical attributes. Vast deserts, high mountains and most notably, giant, prairie-like grasslands known as steppes are what physically defines Central Asia. This unique combination of geological features has played an important role in the shaping of Central Asian culture. Today Central Asia is home to several different countries, some of which may or may not be included depending on the definition of what is Central Asia. The most widely accepted list of countries located in Central Asia are by order of population: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The country with the largest land mass is Kazakhstan with over 2.7 million square kilometers and the country with the least amount of land is Uzbekistan with just 447,400 square kilometers of land. The entire population of these countries is just over 61 million people with a total landmass of around 4 million square kilometers.1
There are few distinct biomes in Central Asia. Vast portions of Central Asia are deserted, the Karakum and Kyzyl Kum deserts cover much of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. These deserts are usually sparsely populated and the people that live within them are generally nomadic pastoralists who herd things like camelids mostly. As was mentioned before, large tracts of Central Asia consist of what are called steppes. These are analogous to the great plains of the United States. Large, flat, treeless grasslands that go on for miles. The steppes were an important part of Central Asian history because it was an environment that was suitable and engendering to horse domestication. Humans and horses have existed with one another for a very long time. Originally, humans hunted horses for meat much like any other megafauna. Horses are thought to have been first domesticated in Central Asia around 5,000 years ago by the Botai Culture of Kazakhstan. Botai refers to the site where archeologists discovered this particular culture. Archeologists have found evidence of equine milk storage and horse bones located at the occupation site in Kazakhstan, which are indicative of horse domestication.2
Being located in the middle of several very different cultural areas created a situation where Central Asia had a diverse number of ethnic groups that still extends to this day. To the south there were any number of large and powerful empires, and most of them had a vested interest in conquering Central Asia. There were a number of invasions into Central Asia throughout her early history by such cultures as the Seleucid Empire or the Median, Achaemenid Empires.3 Central Asia has always had a long history of people trying to conquer it. With each passing invader, there is left a new chapter in Central Asian culture.
The nomadic nature of most Central Asians was another contributing factor--there have always been people moving around and spreading their culture along with them. The prehistory of Central Asia is somewhat complex. It appears as though people first living in the region were agricultural in nature, but this didn't last long. Over time it was discovered that agriculture wasn't necessarily the most productive way of living due to Central Asia's dry and generally non-arable landscape. With the proliferation of horse domestication, herding animals in a nomadic way soon eclipsed the previous agrarian way of life.
Central Asia - An Introduction
Encompassing a vast area east of the Caspian Sea, west of Northern China, south of Eastern Europe and north of the Middle East, Central Asia is a land of varying geographical attributes. Vast deserts, high mountains and most notably, giant, prairie-like grasslands known as steppes are what physically defines Central Asia. This unique combination of geological features has played an important role in the shaping of Central Asian culture. Today Central Asia is home to several different countries, some of which may or may not be included depending on the definition of what is Central Asia. The most widely accepted list of countries located in Central Asia are by order of population: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The country with the largest land mass is Kazakhstan with over 2.7 million square kilometers and the country with the least amount of land is Uzbekistan with just 447,400 square kilometers of land. The entire population of these countries is just over 61 million people with a total landmass of around 4 million square kilometers.1
There are few distinct biomes in Central Asia. Vast portions of Central Asia are deserted, the Karakum and Kyzyl Kum deserts cover much of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. These deserts are usually sparsely populated and the people that live within them are generally nomadic pastoralists who herd things like camelids mostly. As was mentioned before, large tracts of Central Asia consist of what are called steppes. These are analogous to the great plains of the United States. Large, flat, treeless grasslands that go on for miles. The steppes were an important part of Central Asian history because it was an environment that was suitable and engendering to horse domestication. Humans and horses have existed with one another for a very long time. Originally, humans hunted horses for meat much like any other megafauna. Horses are thought to have been first domesticated in Central Asia around 5,000 years ago by the Botai Culture of Kazakhstan. Botai refers to the site where archeologists discovered this particular culture. Archeologists have found evidence of equine milk storage and horse bones located at the occupation site in Kazakhstan, which are indicative of horse domestication.2
Being located in the middle of several very different cultural areas created a situation where Central Asia had a diverse number of ethnic groups that still extends to this day. To the south there were any number of large and powerful empires, and most of them had a vested interest in conquering Central Asia. There were a number of invasions into Central Asia throughout her early history by such cultures as the Seleucid Empire or the Median, Achaemenid Empires.3 Central Asia has always had a long history of people trying to conquer it. With each passing invader, there is left a new chapter in Central Asian culture.
The nomadic nature of most Central Asians was another contributing factor--there have always been people moving around and spreading their culture along with them. The prehistory of Central Asia is somewhat complex. It appears as though people first living in the region were agricultural in nature, but this didn't last long. Over time it was discovered that agriculture wasn't necessarily the most productive way of living due to Central Asia's dry and generally non-arable landscape. With the proliferation of horse domestication, herding animals in a nomadic way soon eclipsed the previous agrarian way of life.
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References Cited:
1. The CIA World Factbook - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
2. Harnessing Horsepower - David Anthony & Dorcas Brown - http://users.hartwick.edu/anthonyd/harnessing%20horsepower.html
3. Frye, Richard Nelson. "The heritage of Central Asia from antiquity to Turkish expansion". Markus Wiener Publishers, 1996, pp. 107.